Anemone vs corals chemical warfare real?

[plancton]

Hello, I have tried to find the answer and found nothing. My light is perfect, the water is really clean, levels are optimal, temp too.
Corals do great, fish as well.

So I don't know why my RBTA keeps hidding, its been in the tank for the last 4 months and started hidding 3 months ago. I do feed it once or twice a week.

And people say I should leave it alone, but I had a previos RBTA who kept hidding and which I saved many times from death, by finding where it was hidding and feeding it.

This new RBTA was pretty but its becoming opaque due to the fact that it hides, and it doesn't bubble up nicely anymore.

So somebody suggested chemical warfafre between itself and the corals, thats the only think I can think of. How does this chemical warfare occurs?.
Is it for real?

 

[Anemone]

On the reef, surface area for growth is at a premium. So yes, corals have a variety of ways of clearing the neighborhood of competitors. They can have a direct sting (nematocysts), or a more generalized chemical release (allelopathy). Leather corals and sponges are especially noted for the chemicals they release (terpenes chief among them).

At any rate, without knowing your system, I couldn't begin to say whether chemical inhibition is a factor. One thing that can make a marked difference if chemicals are being produced (or overproduced) - carbon. Use of activated carbon can help clear many of the chemical weapons used by corals.

Also, keep in mind that just because your system supports corals, doesn't mean it's ready for an anemone. I could keep corlas very successfully long before I could keep anemones.

FWIW,
Kevin

 

[55semireef]

Well said

 

[plancton]

thanks

 

[plancton]

Hey guys, I just found tested my calcium again and it was 370 mg/L which is quite low, could that be affecting the anemones' previously described behaviour, or it has nothing to do with it?

 

[Leilani57]

there was a really amazing show called "blue planet" and it showed the corals fighting at night with a time lapse camera. it was amazing, definitely worth tuning in. i think it was the science channel...

 

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10307167#post10307167 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plancton
Hey guys, I just found tested my calcium again and it was 370 mg/L which is quite low, could that be affecting the anemones' previously described behaviour, or it has nothing to do with it?

While I can't say it's not having an affect, I can say that the calcium level in my anemone tank is chronically low (I haven't added any kalk or ca additives for years) and the RBTAs are fine.

Kevin

 

[flyyyguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10311943#post10311943 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Anemone
my anemone tank

You have an anemone dominated tank??



got a pic or link? I would like to see it

 

[Anemone]

Click on the little red house (www link) above my post for info and pics of my tank.

Kevin

 

[ahullsb]

sorry I'm hitching. I have been having problems with my rbta as well. (most of you know that) I have been wondering if there is some sort of chemical warfare going on in my tank as well. I have one leather coral that looks, fine. And a few sponges that all seem to be doing well. But my kenya tree has begun to wither over the past few days, and there is some mucous type stuff around my clam. Does any of this sound like chemical warfare? It's beginning to sound like it to me...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10320922#post10320922 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ahullsb
sorry I'm hitching. I have been having problems with my rbta as well. (most of you know that) I have been wondering if there is some sort of chemical warfare going on in my tank as well. I have one leather coral that looks, fine. And a few sponges that all seem to be doing well. But my kenya tree has begun to wither over the past few days, and there is some mucous type stuff around my clam. Does any of this sound like chemical warfare? It's beginning to sound like it to me...

what kind of sponges... did they grow from the rock or did you purchase them separately?
Sponges are notorious for releasing toxic substances...

 

[ahullsb]

Most of them have grown from the rock. I bought a blue one, and I have some purple and green ones attached to another large rock. All the sponges look healthy but here is another question/ idea? My kenya tree has dumped frags all over my tank It drives me crazy, but they have attached to the same rocks that the sponge is on, and they touch. A few frags have also landed right next to the anemone. Maybe it doesn't like them?

 

[plancton]

well now I can say my RBTA its been living on the same spot under a rock for about 2 months, its health seems fine, and I give it pieces of shrimp twice a week, I think it barely receives light under there, but it likes it......

 

[55semireef]

Any pictures plancton?

 

[plancton]

before

after

 

[Lawrence914]

This is a very interesting topic... especially the topic of allelopathy. As I'm starting to collect a few frags of soft corals, does anyone know the species I should avoid?

kind regards,
Lawrence

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10377030#post10377030 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lawrence914
This is a very interesting topic... especially the topic of allelopathy. As I'm starting to collect a few frags of soft corals, does anyone know the species I should avoid?

kind regards,
Lawrence

run carbon and change it out often

 

[plancton]

There is something else I found out. My rainbow monti danae which is on the topmost rock seems to be starting to bleach.

The edges are turning white, I thought it might be an infection, but I touched it and nothing came out, no white filaments which according to me is what infection is like.

So the only explanation is that it is bleaching probably for being to close to the T5s.
Then it means T5s are more intense than previously thought by me. I gonna try to take a good picture on this frag, for the momment I am going to place it lower in the tank.

 

[plancton]

Its about 12 inches from the light source

 

[monicaswizzle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10323320#post10323320 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
what kind of sponges... did they grow from the rock or did you purchase them separately?
Sponges are notorious for releasing toxic substances...

Second Hitch hiker runs from the brush as car slows down---

I am having the weirdest time figuring out my BTA activity. I DO have a sponge in my sump that I bought about four weeks before the BTA. It is a "red ball sponge", I can hunt around for any species or genus name I may have received. It is in the sump, which is connected to the display with the Anemone. I will cut the return pump for a day and run some carbon.

Thanks so much for picking me up, even if you didn't know I was lurking there!